There are some fights where a draw seems like the only fair result for two evenly matched opponents.

There are other times when it feels like highway robbery.

Such was the case in the main event of Sunday’s “WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus” event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, when lightweights Jamie Varner and Kamal Shalorus fought to a foul-laden draw result, much to the surprise of almost everyone watching.

For three rounds, Varner did his best to stick and move while avoiding the powerful hooks of Shalorus. Meanwhile, “The Prince of Persia” spent three rounds blasting away with kicks at the inside and outside of Varner’s legs, not to mention three powerful blows right to the groin that marred what was otherwise an unbelievable display of toe-to-toe brawling.

The action started immediately after the opening bell, and Varner teed off on his opponent’s head to no avail. Working in straight punches ahead of Shalorus’ looping hooks, Varner scored frequently, but the Iranian native seemed to feed off the energy and simply cheered the action. It seemed as if an epic slugfest could be in the works, but questionable tactics – not to mention officiating – marred the final two rounds.

Shalorus’ low kicks scored twice to Varner’s cup in the second frame, and the former champion collapsed to the floor after the shots. Referee Josh Rosenthal correctly deducted a point for the repeated infractions, and the contest carried on. Complicating matters for Varner, he appeared to break his hand following the second restart.

As the third round opened, Shalorus was also dealing with an injured right hand, and the two fighters were forced to search for alternatives. Jabs and kicks were in high demand. Unfortunately, one such kick again scored to Varner’s groin. While a disqualification wouldn’t have necessarily been out of line, Rosenthal declined to even deduct a second point and instead offered only another warning. While it seemed elementary at the time with Varner apparently cruising to a win, Rosenthal’s choice would factor heavily into the final result.

With Shalorus using a takedown and solid control to claim the final round, the judges were forced to render a decision in the contest. All three issued a different result. The scores came in as 29-27 Varner, 29-27 Shalorus and a 28-28 draw, leaving the fight ruled a split draw. Had the second point been deducted, Varner would have walked away with a split-decision victory.

On the bright side for Varner, fans did end up cheering his name at points in the fight, which is something the lightweight contender isn’t used to hearing.

Following the decision, Varner (16-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 WEC) vehemently protested the call, and Shalorus (6-0-2 MMA, 2-0-1 WEC) offered heartfelt apologies for the low blows. The winner of the fight had been expected to meet WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson with the title on the line, though that honor may now fall to the winner of a WEC 50 matchup between Anthony Pettis and Shane Roller.

One reality of mixed martial arts is that sometimes fights just don’t live up to the hype surrounding them. In the case of of Saturday’s co-main event between featherweights Mark Hominick and Yves Jabouin, even eight years of build-up wasn’t enough.

The two Canadians finally met after years of near-misses, and the two packed more action into a round-and-a-half of competition than seems humanly possible. Jabouin opened up the aggressor, and his combination of kicks, punches and elbows from all angles left Hominick unable to open his own attack. Hominick’s face quickly showed the effects of the punishment, but he refused to stop moving forward. And while Jabouin looked to have claimed the first round, he was also slowing in the closing seconds.

Hominick wasn’t.

Jabouin started quickly again in the second, but it was just a brief flurry. Instead, Hominick started working in combinations and punishing Jabouin with body shots. A left shot to the gut saw Jabouin hit the deck, but he wasn’t quite ready to quit. He worked back to the feet and fired off a right hand that left Hominick on the deck in a shocking turn of events. Then it was Jabouin’s turn to rush in.

Hominick recovered quickly, and he immediately swept to top position and delivered a flurry of blows from the mount. Jabouin tried to wiggle and roll, but he was stuck, and Hominick was unrelenting. Referee Vern Gorman had no choice to wave off the potential “Fight of the Year” candidate at the 3:21 mark.

Hominick (18-8 MMA, 2-2 WEC) proclaimed after the fight that he would provide an interesting matchup for featherweight champ Jose Aldo, but there’s a line waiting to meet the Brazilian phenom. Instead, a matchup with Leonard Garcia, which Hominick also requested, seems far more likely – and enticing. Meanwhile, Jabouin (14-6 MMA, 0-2 WEC) is now winless in two WEC outings, but both fights have been memorable affairs and may earn “Tiger” a rare third shot at a first win in the promotion.

Despite being on the shelf for a little more than a year, featherweight youngster Josh Grispi laughed off any hint of ring rust in a first-round stoppage of fellow top contender L.C. Davis.

Grispi showed no lingering effects from the injury that has kept him out of action since June 2009, and he instead flashed kicks at all angles as he kept the shorter Davis at bay. When Davis tried to switch up his attack and bring Grispi to the floor, “The Fluke” calmly latched on to a guillotine choke and squeezed until Davis went to sleep.

While Manny Gamburyan has been promoted in recent months as the next title contender in the featherweight division, Grispi’s (14-1 MMA, 4-0 WEC) four first-round finishes should leave him on a short list for consideration, as well. Meanwhile, Davis (16-3 MMA, 3-1 WEC) sees a three-fight win streak halted with the result.

Canadian Chris Horodecki would surely prefer to forget his WEC debut against Anthony Njokuani this past December. But fighting in front of his native Canada for the first time in four years against WEC newcomer Danny Downes, Horodecki looked like a completely different fighter.

“The Polish Hammer” easily navigated through Downes’ reach advantage and landed combinations at will. But while Horodecki’s striking was on display frequently, it was his ground skills that proved the definitive factor.

Horodecki controlled Downes on the floor on several occasions, and he nearly ended the bout in the opening round with a rear-naked choke. Instead, he’d have to settle on waiting until early in the final frame to lock in the fight-ending hold. With both hooks firmly in place, Horodecki snuck his arm under the chin of a fatigued and frustrated Downes, who had no choice but to tap.

With the win, Horodecki (15-2 MMA, 1-1 WEC) can put his debut loss behind him. Meanwhile, Downes (6-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC), who took the fight on just one-week’s notice, should earn another look from the promotion after competing under such difficult circumstances in his debut.

In the evening’s first televised contest, bantamweights Eddie Wineland and Will Campuzano combined to put on the striking display most observers expected before the night began. And while the action was even for most of the contest, Wineland capitalized on the rare openings he did see and eventually earned the TKO.

Campuzano favored low kicks early, but Wineland flashed the head movement and footwork that are quickly becoming his hallmark while avoiding any real damage. The former WEC champ dropped Campuzano on two occasions in the opening round after catching mid-level kicks, but the end came in the second.

A beautiful three-punch combo that targeted the head and the body dropped Campuzano, and Wineland pounced. Campuzano showed great resilience in battling back to his feet, but Wineland kept the pressure on. Another massive right to the body dropped Campuzano again, and a standing Wineland delivered a right hand to his opponent’s head that forced the stoppage with 16 seconds left in the round.

Wineland (17-6-1 MMA, 4-1 WEC) has now won three-straight fights in impressive fashion.

“I’m very pleased,” Wineland said following the win. “Everybody that’s been helping me I thank them. They’ve been pushing me in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, Campuzano (7-2 MMA, 1-2 WEC) falls to just 1-2 in the WEC but has yet to take part in a boring fight.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.